Fruit-conveyer.



No. 638,832. Patented Dec, l2, I899.

J. CARLTON. FRUIT CONVEYER.

. (Application flledwune 2931.899.) (No Model.)

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STATES JAMES CARLTON, OF NOOATEE, FLORIDA.

FRUlT-CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,832, dated December12, 1899. Application filed June 29, 1899 Serial No. 722,241. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES CARLTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nocatee, in the county of De Soto and State of Florida, haveinvented new andwnseful Improvements in Fruit-Gathering Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification. i

My invention relates to fruit-gathering apparatus; and it consists inthe peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of myimproved apparatus on line 1 1 of Fig. 2, the same being shown in itsoperative position. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3is a detail perspective view of the upper end of the receiving-conduit.

In the said drawings similar letters designate-corresponding parts inall of the views, referring to which A is a ladder such as generallyused for fruit-picking purposes.

B is the receiving-conduit, and G the discharging-chute, of my improvedapparatus, the latter being disposed at an angle to the former, so as toreceive therefrom and, being arranged as shown in Fig. 1, to dischargeinto a shipping-box D or other receptacle.

The receiving-conduit B in the preferred embodiment of the invention ismade up of a Wood body a, which has a concave inner side I) and isprovided with hooks o, to engage a rung of the ladder, and a pluralityof pockets (1. These latter each comprise a transverse curvilinear stripe of leather or other material, Which, while soft, is calculated toretain its shape, and a skirt f, of cloth or other soft material,adapted to normally rest in a collapsed condition and offer a slightresistance to the descent of fruit. The strips e are connected at theirends by tacks or other suitable means to the edges of the body a, andthe skirts f are connected to both the strips e and the said edges ofthe body a. The skirt f of each pocket is also extended down to a pointwithin the strip 6 of the next lower pocket. From this it follows thatwhile the several pockets, in conjunction with the body a, form acontinuous conduit the picker of the fruit is enabled to place fruit inthe conduit at various points in the length thereof. This isadvantageous, since it renders it unnecessary for the fruit-picker, whostands upon the ladder while at work, to move up or down in order toplace a piece of fruit in the conduit.

The body g of the discharge-chute O is preferably of wood and comprisesa bottom wall g and side walls 9 the latter being extended beyond theformer both at the lower and upper ends of the chute and having theirlower corners rounded, as shown. The space formed by the extension ofthe side walls beyond the bottom wall at the upper end of the chute isoccupied by a strip 7t of soft cloth or other material calculated togive,which is connected to the lower edges of the extended portions ofthe side walls and is continued up and connected to the upper ends ofsaid side walls, so as to close the upper end of the chute G.

The space formed by the extension of the side walls beyond the bottomwall at the lower end of the chute O is occupied by a strip Zof softcloth or other material calculated to give, which is connected to thelower edges of the extended portions of the side walls and is carriedpartly up and connected to the lower ends of the side walls, so as topartly close the lower or discharge end of the chute.

In practice the receiving-conduit B and discharge-chute O are arrangedas shown with respect to each other and the ladder A and are connectedtogether by hooks m and eyes 71.. Consequently it willbe seen that thefruit as it leaves the conduit B will fall upon the strip 7c of softcloth, which will prevent bruising or other injury to the fruit. Fromthe strip 70 the fruit will pass down the chute (3 into the pocket m,formed by the strip 1, and will drop therefrom into the box orreceptacle D. The pocket m, of soft material, cushions the fall of thefruit down the chute O and causes the fruit to gently drop into the boxD.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that while simple andinexpensive in construction my improved apparatus is calculated tomaterially expedite the gathering of fruit, and this without bruising orotherwise injuring the same. It will also be observed that the apparatusis light and easy to handle and may therefore be readily moved from onetree to another.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1.Inafruit-gatheringapparatus,aconduit, and a chute connected to anddisposed below and at an angle to the conduit, and comprising a bodyhaving a bottom, and sides extended beyond the bottom at its upper end,and a strip of soft material occupying the space formed by the extensionof the sides of the body beyond the bottom and connected to the loweredges of the sides and continued up and connected to the upper ends ofthe sides; the said strip being arranged to receive fruit as it isdischarged from the conduit, substantially as specified.

2. Inafruit-gatheringapparatus,aconduit, and a chute connected to anddisposed below and at an angle to the conduit and comprising a bodyhaving a bottom and sides extended beyond the bottom at its lower end,and a strip of soft material connected to the lower edges of theextended portions of the sides of the body and carried up and connectedto the lower portion of the ends of said sides so as to partly close thelower end of the chute and form a pocket, substantially as specified.

In afruit-gat-hering apparatus,a conduit, and a chute connected to anddisposed below and at an angle to the conduit, and comprising a bodyhaving a bottom, and sides extended beyond the bottom at its upper andlower ends, a strip of soft material connected to the lower edges of theupper extensions of the sides andcontinued up and connected to the upperends of the sides; said strip being arranged to receive fruit as it isdischarged from the conduit, and a strip of soft material connected tothe lower edges of the lower extensions of the sides of the body andcarried up and connected to the lower portion of the ends of said sidesso as to partly close the lower end of the chute and form a pocket,substantially as specified.

JAMES CARLTON.

Witnesses:

M. S. STEVENS, ORLENA A. CARLTON.

